checking in with democratic governs. it's friday, february 24th, and this is "now" p joining me today, rolling stone, senior editor, eric bates and patricia murphy, and game changer and darling of the hbo met york, new york magazine's john heileman. you can call it swagger or mojo, whatever it is, president obama has it. mitt romney be afraid. be very, very afraid. friends on the panel, we know that right at this moment, mitt romney is trying to fill a 64,000 seat stadium in detroit. he is going to public filling it from the 30 yard zone to the end zone which my football friends say is not a big distance.

and we know that president obama is fuelling up, rolling out a war machine unlike no other in terms of the 2012 race. do you think, and i'll direct it to you on the left side first, that the republican presidential candidates are under estimating or ignoring the obama machine to their own peril at this moment? >> i don't know how you under estimate the obama machine, not to mention that he is doing well in the polls t economy is lifting and the gas prices are an exception, we will talk about that later, i know. but i've seen mitt romney try to fill a high school basketball gym to no effect. i wish him luck today. they are not under estimating it, that is why they are getting ready for the fight, the republicans say give me more money because barack obama will clobber me with all of his funds. >> give me more money because i'm going to get my bum handed

to me. john, i want to call your attention to -- there's a new obama campaign ad running on michigan air. let's play that for our audience at home. >> when a million jobs were on the line, every candidate turned their back even said, let detroit go bankrupt. not him. >> don't bet against the american auto industry. >> everyone has a auto industry had right now. obama is going forward with his, what do you make of his chances of resonating with the blue collar workers in detroit and i don't understand? >> the president will win michigan. and the most important county was north of detroit, it's the county you looked for, they were staunchly democrat and they were the reagan democrats in the '80s and they have become a battleground again.

gore won it by a point and clinton one it by a few points and the auto bailout where this is a county made up of auto workers, it is still the core county in michigan, if barack won by eight points, he will look strong in mccomb and throughout the rest of the state, it will be hard for anybody else to win it in the fall. >> i want to bring your attention to what other conservatives are saying. the wall street journal, that was perhaps, no comment on that. good news, this may be the republicans low point. bad news, the low point may last until the convention and through it. it's all getting a little exhausting and here is jeb bush this morning talking about his own party. sorry i'll read it. i used to be a conservative and i watch these debates and i'm

wondering, i do not think i've changed but it is troubling when people are appealing to people's fears and emotions instead of looking over the horizon in a broader perspective. it's not panic talk but it's not good talk. >> all these figures in your political party that are not running for president and who feel comfortable sid -- sitting on the sidelines and second guessing you. that is what is going on. so, that comes with the territory and you have to get used to it when you run for presidents. the auto bailout issue, i talked to the people that ran the bailout for the president. they are passionate and angry and they do not think that romney is doing any service to the country when he talks about having a structured bailout that brought in private money. they say, that was impossible at

the time. and the idea that romney is criticizing them, i cannot tell you how angry they are right now as they sit there and watch this campaign unfold. >> and obama will not be shy about what he did to rescue the auto industry. if we talk about the broader electorate. eric, i want to direct this to you, you are athe voice of the next generation, if you look at what obama is doing in terms of ground game. this is amazing. day before yesterday, the first lady called into 1,000 women for obama house apparents. they have spent in the millions. and in january, paid $2 million in salaries and spent $11 million on salaries last year and this is best. field offices.

they have field offices in every state in the country and in florida, there are 12, and new hampshire p eight, iowa eight, inform nevada there are four. >> what we saw in 2008 was barack obama won because he figured out the mechanisms of a new campaign and one that could reach more people and more voters than previous campaigns had in all kinds of difference ways but it was a ground campaign the concern was, given how turned off the voters were by the policies in the last four years, could he flip a switch and turn it on? you will not see the same excitement as before. but the nuts and bolts of the campaign is still there and his team know s how to do it in a effect i way. >> they rolled out electronic devices where they can swipe

your card while going door to door. that will change a lot. shows small donations can add up to a lot. >> to tie up the points. you make good points. this is why it's hard to beat an incumbent president. he gets to sit around and build his organization. >> and he had a good one from his campaign. >> he did. so you have him doing this stuff, they are doing blocking and tacklings and this is why it's so hard. and on the republican side, is not par for course this is a party where the establishment are in dispair over what is happen engine their -- happening in their party. this is what is happening right now, you talk to finance people, lobbiests and elected officials

they are saying this party is coming apart from the seams. >> but this party, i don't know if it can be brought together t base of the party is afraid, they are afraid and angry and they feel there's nobody in the republican establishment answering them or listening to them. the flip side is will obama be able to generate the passion? no. but will independents and democrats come out in santorum is nominated? yes, they will get out there and campai campaign against a far right republican. >> specially if someone shows up with a credit card machine at their door. you are looking at the white house where the presidents is having a meeting on some of the key issues that they are facing. from the black lash over birth control to a controversial bill,

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pnchlths -- senator barbara boxer is saying that 2012 is shaping up to the year of the woman. as the other lady to panel, patricia let's bring you in here. if we look at what has happened in recent weeks. there's the susan g. komen flare

up to put it mildly the white house stand to federal health care bill and the watered down version of the ultr sound being tack tackled, it's being voted on today by the state senate. in some ways, i think if you were -- we were discussing this three weeks ago, we would have said it's an unprecedentsed attack on women's health. and the tide seems to have switched in favor of democrats and women democrats if you look at barbara boxer speaking out and nancy pelosi holding hearings on the hill. >> they call it the year of the woman, so far it's been the year of the anti-woman. to see the images and hear the conversations that are going on, you literally feel like you've gone back to the 1950s and for young independent women they did

not know these conversations could exist. it's a scary time for women. doesn't matter the party you are in. i think that republican women are just as uncomfortable with these ideas as democratic women. that is the danger for the republican party right now. women from majority of voters, and they will decide who becomes the president. if you lose women by a huge margin and you will if you keep having these conversations, and you cannot put them back in the bottle. it's a time when the republicans are driving away women and they must not know what they are doing, because it's so profound and any strategist can get out a calculator and say, this is going to be bad down the road. >> what strikes me -- i mean particularly upsetting is not just that they are taking these issues up, but taking them up with gumptsto and not having females in the work. >> i don't know where you would

get a woman to make a joke about putting an aspirin between you're knees. i would like to see republican women be invited on some of is sunday shows and discuss why is this important to you? did anyone consult you? and to see men every sunday to presidential debate panel and see only men questioning them boils my blood. it effects me and so makes so many women angry and uncomfortable. >> it does not mean that men cannot weigh in on this panel. >> i saw a stat this morning that shows that santorum is being hurt by this in the short-term in the audience that he is caring about, which are voters that are showing up snne week and on through march. if it's a topic that will kill

you with women, it's not hurting santorum right now. going into the general that may change. >> we actually have numbers. we have matchups between the president and likely contenders. among women voters, obama is polling at 49% and santorum, he is up 50-41, a nine-point lead, 50-45, and santorum 31-31, and romney 30-35. you are right. santorum's favorability has risen in the last weeks. >> has to get through this, before he can deal with that. >> the challenge for the republican candidates is to win the republican nomination and deal with the problems later and they will be problems. i talked to a govern in a swing state said that the difference between santorum and romney on a ticket in his state is a santorum that will lose by 20

points because of the stand with the election. i'll not campaign with santorum, because i'll not get re-elected. we saw today that santorum's numbers with women in the republican party had gone up and it's not hurting him at all at least in moment to thing he is focused on today. >> what is interesting is that this is not coming from santorum and romney. this attack on women and this exclusion of women from the debates d debate is coming from the party ichts -- the party itself, it's the same reason you are seeing gas prices are become an issue. the party as a whole are saying where can we go with this? they are trying to dredge up a battle. >> and this is what i do not understands.

if he is doing better among the republican women, where are they defending him and his position, whether it's aspirin between the knees or some of these very, i think, in my mind draconian pieces of legislation that is being put forward. >> the aspirin was not put forward by santorum. >> it was put forward by one of his leading contributors. setting aside foster friess, i do not understand why you are more endeered to santorum than romn romney? >> i saw him last sunday and there were more women in the audience than men. they are conservative women, they are home schooling homicii they agree with him, he speaks to my heart, he talks to where i live. they know he has a family he cares about and has struggled in the past. he comes across as a real person. he has an appeal to women, it's

these issues and larger optics in the republican party that made gains in 2010. they won women in 2010. there's something happening here this year that is very uncomfortable for independent women. republican women do not mind at all because they like him better than the other choices. >> there's a difference -- alex you are pointing out where are the republican women. the establishment women see it as a political problem and do not agree with his personally. you see grassroots out there that are conservative women. >> what about the legislation that is pending in the house. it's not just santorum's position, women in virginia who think that ultra sounds are a good idea that should be mandated by the state? >> it's going down, because women spoke up and the republican governor opened his eyes and said oops.

>> the wedomen are missing in t super pac donors. i cannot think of a woman billionaire who has written a check to any -- >> adelson. >> and meg whitman wrote a check too. >> i cannot think of a billionaire female person that wrote a check. >> how many of them are there out there? >> oprah is busy right now. and not giving any money to the gop as far as pick tell here is a live look. we are minutes away from romney's big speech. plus a new film takes audiences inside the secret unknown world of the native s.e.a.l.s and it stars real live if i have duty s.e.a.l.s, is it a recruitment movie or a mold breaker? ♪ they see me rollin'

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>> i'm going to take programs that are important and could be better run at the state level and send them back to the states. >> i think we can return to the states an enor -- share of the power. >> we need to take everything from education programs to other programs cut them, cap them and send them to the states. >> off loading it to the states. governors are discussing that in washington today. a group of governors are meeting with the president at the white house currently. we know that 2010 was not a good year for democrats in terms of the state house, republicans took houses in battleground states. ohio, pennsylvania, wisconsin to name a few, but the winds of change are blog in 2012. if you look at the recall

elections. rick scott in florida not doing well. there are eight -- there are 12 governor races this year. eight in democratic controlled states and four in republican controlled states. i do not ask you to be betting people, but if you have to guess how the tide will shift, where do you think we are going, looking at what is happen engin virginia and in maryland with the passage of gay marriage. >> it's tough to be a governor these days they have a legal requirement to balance the budget and they have to make cuts they never imagined they would be making. it has less to do with being republican and democrat, and pit has more -- it has more to do with inheriting the obligations

to public employees and they cannot balance their books. you have to do unhappy things to make it happen. you'll have another wave election if you goes in direction. we have seen it many times, people are saying somebody else. somebody else. >> i can do math well enough to know that in a situation where there's four republican governorships th s thas that ar not a great year to pick up democratic seats. scott walker is the one with a best chance. but the democrats will not make a big year -- >> you are looking live at mitt romney's speech. he is giving the speech despite the fact that the stadium is far from filled. how big a risk is romney taking today? we will ask the panel and hear some of the candidates remarks

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♪ the cadillac cts. ♪ we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. right now mitt romney is in detroit's ford field, he is about to reoutline his economic plan speaking from the 30 yard line, will this get his campaign into the end zone. a few facts. this was sposed to be a 1700 seat hotel conference room and they movered it to a stadium and apparently team romney was struggling to figure out how to make it look crowded. 100 of the people there will be the news media. you see romney getting intro'ed

right now. first of all, we will unpack the specifics of his plan, but if you are mitt romney right now and you need the make if case for your electability and the facts that you have the winds in your sails, is speaking in one corner, sections 1 through 12 of an obviously empty stadium, a good thing? it's a fabulous thing. the optics are not good, right? >> that depends how it looks on tv. >> this is what it looks like. >> well that doesn't look bad. >> do we have the still? that's the rest of the stadium, that is no way not going make it. >> what mitt romney's people care about what it looks like on local michigan, they want to win the michigan library. i've been to crazy bad events and talked about how silly it is to have it in such a big place.

if it looks crowded on television and the romney crowd has done it over and over again. it looks good on tv, on local news and drives votes in michigan, and makes him look like he is giving a iconic speech -- >> that is a lot of ifs and we know there's 26 american made cars, sitting outside with the title on them, "let's detroit go bankrupt" that was from romney's op-ed, unclear the local press will cover that as well. >> there's a lot of dissatisfaction in detroit over his stance on the bailout. there's the question, whether democrat and in tdependents wil go to the primary polls and votes, which they can. but the fact that it's being discussed is an indication how

they are feeling. >> as we talk about the economic plan, mitt romney is going to cut the corporate tax rate to 25%. he is going to cut, make a 20% cut across the board to the individual tax rate and that key for the working class, the capital gains tax, he is saying, he is going zero it out for those making under $200,000 a year. a nonpartisan group, said that the deficit will go up by billions and we are on track to have the deficit cut. this is not conservative. interesting to contrast it with what president obama led out this week. >> he did not do a individual plan, he did a corporate plan, obama's plan would raise $250

billion over ten years, you are talking about bringing down the deficit by that amount. i do not know which is more controversial. ironically, because raising a lot of money from businesses is not popular among businesses. and the obama plan is greeted with groans from the business community. >> i feel that the mitt romney campaign needs to get people to stick with him today. the heart behind santorum's plan has a thing to hold on to. he this is a manufacturing piece that people and remember and hold on to. i don't know where romney's plan is going other than a lot of numbers and percentages. >> we know that santorum is unveiling his first 100 days economic plan. at a knights of columbus hall. if you look at this again, i

site the committee for the responsible federal budget. if romney's plan adds $250 billion, to the deficit and santorum adds to the deficit and -- $4.5 million for the deficit by santorum. if i were the president, these numbers would be burned into every speech i made. >> the conservatives do not agree that cutting taxes adds to the deficit. they believe the economy will grow and it will begin to throw off more income for the government with higher tax receipts. >> and we saw how that worked out with the bush administration, all economists agree it's nonsense. >> if we take ourselves outside the context of the republican primary and you look at the president and he is in a position where he can be populist and appeal on those grounds and appeal to grounds of

fiscal responsibility, that is is a pretty sweet position to be in if you are president obama. i think, you no know, it will not be that clear cut. it put the president in a sweet position and romney is more responsible. >> especially when santorum is saying, governor romney dominated the occupy wall street rhetoric. any sort of revenue raisers are completely -- >> a revenue raiser is a scandal among the voters. one of the things to watch is how much does he dial up to rhetoric on gas prices. as we see the prices begin to impact people, how does it sift itself way into the rhetoric and where does he pin the blame for

the president on that. as the jobs picture starts to improve. romney will have to pivot to something that the president can take a blame for. >> we are seeing that already. we have a bit of sounds from gingrich attacking the president and the president offering his rebuttal to the gas prices question. if we have it. >> president of the united states explaining first of all, that there's no single silver bullet. now that is just wrong. defeating obama is a single thing that would change it. >> just -- just by defeating him -- >> that's a great line. >> the thing i love about the entire segment, we have been talking while romney is talking and there's not been a word from romney heard and we get sound and we get it from gingrich. >> we can hear a bit of romney starting his remarks. we were waiting for him to start speaking, mr. heilman, let's listen to a bit of the address.

>> bring their profits back home and i kn invest them here. if there's an american company like ford that has a division in china making cars in china and they make profit there, if they keep their money in china and invest it in china, no u.s. tax, if they bring it home to invest here, then we charge them up to 35% tax. that makes no sense, we have to bring dollars home. it's estimated to be over a trillion sitting off shore that can come back here and create jobs, i can get done. >> the repatriotation tax. this is the beginning of the speech too. >> that is my point about the romney speech, it needs to not just be related to the detroit

economic club but to people watching him, this should be his wheelhouse, he is the economic guy and money guy and business guy, if he does it relate it to people's lives, it does not matter. >> the tax does not -- it's a significant deconcern. >> it's a very hot topic. the president has an idea on. that -- on that. the president wants to hit companies like ford who are keeping the money off shore and tax it no mat what are. it's is same idea, give them an incentive to bring it home. if you can get it across to voters, it's a winning message. >> it is very, very difficult, especially given the visual that we just saw. after the break, we will talk with the film's writer next on

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that was a scene from "act of valor" where is my popcorn? the action movie that stars real life active navy s.e.a.l.s un n joining us now the kurt johnstad. thanks for being here. >> great to be here. >> we have been talking about, since the raid on osama bin laden, the navy s.e.a.l.s have become a myth cal fighting team p nobody knows a lot about them. this movie stars actually navy s.e.a.l.s. tell us how it came to be. >> the film makers approached me

four years ago and said they were interested about make ago movie about that community. i had a relationship with several people in that community and i thought it was a great opportunity to basically make a story in a hollywood film and let film -- let a film be made. >> there was blow back on if a film came out before the last election, and would it help, and here is another one. when we talk about the navy s.e.a.l.s, does this, it's interesting to have a democratic president here where military intervention or at least this kind of, the navy s.e.a.l.s is a winning topic for him. >> i think it's winning topic for any president. they are a different breed of

human being are as most members of the american military. you meet them and talk to them, they have a motivation that are beyond what most people are capable of. i think the presidents has used the s.e.a.l.s in particular for a more strategic strike force that we have not seen before. it is working, because they are so good at what they do. they are pulling it off. >> they are using them as a strike force for pr and propaganda campaign as well, the special forces would not usually lend out material for the films but now they were lending out the soldiers. >> when you talking about cuts to the defense budget, they have to get the public behind them. >> there's a debate about whether movies should be political at all. lorax movie, it's upsetting

people as left wing prop beg-- some of the best movies have been political and movie makers and artists need to be able to express their ideas. >> i think the navy s.e.a.l.s have guys they can be out killing instead of shooting a movie. >> i know your film making had all access to the s.e.a.l.s and materials including nuclear submarines. >> no u.s. tax dollars were diverted to make the film. the s.e.a.l.s were asked to do the film. each one said no, and finally the film makers gained their trust and once that was done, they all volunteered to be on film.

so the reason it took two and a half years to film it, was because you had to wait nor the stars that were deployed, were in theater. you would have ten-month blocks where these actors would be gone down range away from their families and defending our country. i think it's very important that we look at this as -- these guys did this on their own time it's something that they wanted to represent their community and culture. >> thanks for your time, kurt, coming up, heaven and he lmpll the campaign trail, we will look at the week that was when we take a look at "what just mushroom smothered beef burgers.

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the rhetoric in the gop primary heated up this week. like lucifer hot, it's time to look back and ask "what just happened happened?" >> we see a president who is trying crush the christian principals. >> this week the presidential campaign was about more than the white house. age old questions from way back in 2008 were brought back. >> you were satan who would you attack. >> more over, where would you work? perhaps a university? >> satanic questions unanswered and lines were drawn between good and evil. >> for these lame stream media

characters, have they attended a sunday school class? >> between sane and crazy. >> part of the attempt to impune santorum as a religious nut and whack oh. >> between, religious and not religious and other. >> you have to ask president obama. >> he is not a christian? >> i cannot answer that question for anybody. >> do you believe that santorum is christian? >> i think so. >> what about mitt romney? is he a christian? sgla he is a mormon. >> the president was accused of not protecting the homeland and of protecting it too much. >> that a radical ideology and we worship the earth. >> wednesday was a day to repent. >> i'm giving up my opinion. >> before a night to cast stones. >> you do not know what he are talking about. >> nice try. >> because he is a fake. >> cheerful. >> after this primary is finished.

>> there's no gift that can be given more than santorum to the democrats. >> will the gop have stones to throw. >> i don't think there was a less clear knockout winner. >> i think it was a good night for president obama. >> will the president have the last word. >> ♪ sweet home chicago >> that is what just happened. okay, understanding that everyone not republican party are catholic, but given the facts that we are having a discussion about good and evil, what should the republican party be giving up for lent this year. i just made that up as the camera came. but i think it's a good question. what did you say? >> i said their opinions. because that is what callistaed is said.

>> i would like to say the fear mongerring, but that is their bread and butter. they are trying do a vacationer -- to a variation of the bir birther theme. it's he is different from you and me. >> what the republican leadership would like them to give up is this vicious infighting between the campaigns. they would like them to give it up but the campaigns themselves cannot do that. because negative campaigning and attacking the other guy works. as much as the guys around the race are saying hey, cut it out, the people in it are in a death battle. >> i think give up the campaign about a potentially brokered convention, get behind your candidates. every voter, even if they do not love romney, they vote for him. they have a weapon within their arsenal already. and they just need to support the guys who have had the guys

who had the guts to get in the race. >> i give up giving things for lent. and i think they should follow in my footsteps. >> i have tried to give up chocolate and that lasted five minutes. but i applaud all those that can give up things. thank you all, that is all for "now," i'll see you back here monday, when i'm joined by governor he h eor ed rendell an until then find us on facebook.com/n.o.w. with alex. happy friday to everyone out there. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. ♪

[ kareem ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ mike ] it's gonna fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ jaronda ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ tom ] i would love to see this thing fly. [ kareem ] it's a dream, honestly. there it is. oh, wow.

that's so cool! yeah, that was awesome! [ cheering ] [ tom ] i wanna see that again. ♪

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the syrian city of homs, under siege where assad's forces do not show any signs of stopping. >> the afghan army is trying to stop them, they are firing off warning shots but we nearly got stuck in the protest and we have to run. nbc's reporter ducking gunfire in kabal. and back here at home, administration officials talk about a potential fix for those rising gas prices. >> there's a case of the use for the reserves in some cases. and we will look at that and evaluate that. >> the dow flirts with 13,000 again. is the up swing here to stay, as hollywood gets ready for its big night. >> i'm outraged by being banned from